Saradha: CBI raids continue in Kolkata

Keeping up the tempo in the investigations in the multi-crore Saradha financial scam, the CBI conducted more raids at offices and premises connected with people involved with the now-bust company in Kolkata Tuesday. The raids were continuing till the last reports came in.

On Monday too, the CBI sleuths had conducted raids at two locations in the city and seized 20 computers and 18 hard disks. In last few days, the the central agency has intensified the raids in an indicator towards a possible crackdown on several influential people allegedly involved in the scam.

In last two weeks, CBI sleuths raided at least a dozen locations in the city while some locations were searched more than once. The search operations were conducted at several locations including the offices of Saradha Group in Salt Lake and Diamond Harbour Road, and at the residences of Saradha CMD Sudipta Sen, executive director Debjani Mukherjee, TMC MP Kunal Ghosh and other directors of the company.

CBI has been handed over 76 cases that were being probed by the SIT of West Bengal Police. The CBI is now clubbing the cases of similar nature and has already lodged four FIRs in Bengal. It has also started preparing a list of other major operators that were collecting money from people by violating SEBI norms.

Meanwhile, six arrested persons including Sudipta Sen, Kunal Ghosh, Debjani Mukherjee and Saradha Group director Somnath Dutta were produced before a local court Tuesday. The court rejected their bail petitions sent them to judicial custody till August 26.